Tag Archives: cafes

The tres bon people at Chez Dre, home of the best croque monsieur in town (spoken by a loyal south Melbourne resident) have taken it upon themselves to bless Coventry Street with a patisserie and gelateria of pure beauty.

The fit out couldn’t be more removed from Chez Dre. Clean, sleek fixtures are adorned with perfectly placed bags and blocks of all things sweet and indulgent. But it’s the counters where the beauty really shines. Rows of immaculate flavoured dark chocolate truffles, interspersed with glowing pop-colours of Caprinha green, tangerine orange and cherry red.

As beautiful the chocolate collection is, the cake counter shows the real talent of these artisans. Each pastry, shimmering in the soft light, and again, displaying colours of an intensity that mother nature herself would be jealous. From Green tea to Blueberries, chocolate tarts to cheesecake, each creation a wonder to behold, but even better to devour. Curiously soft and delicate, but with punchy hits of flavour, I imagine they are destroyed in an astonishingly shorter time than it took to create the little joys.

The gelato and sorbets also add a nice addition if that happens to be your poison (guilty as charged). Mango and passion fruit sorbet tastes of a thousand fruits condensed into one small cup, the sour of the passion fruit softened by the sweetness of mango, or the strawberry and lemon myrtle, like a sweet, gentle stroll through the countryside on a warm, sunny day.

Bibelot is ambitious, and adventurous. They are pushing serious boundaries here, and they are not afraid to charge for it. But when you can deliver the goods with such confidence and skill, the ensuing well-deserved success is a fait accompli.

Magic is the corner café everyone should have. These are the unheralded stars of the weekend breakfast and no-one does it better than the inconspicuous Magic on Ferrars St, South Melbourne.

It doesn’t get much low frills than this. You could be excused for missing it – the signage is chalk drawn on the walls. Seating, both inside and out is vintage chairs if you’re lucky, crates if not, rickety oid tables, and service is so friendly and casual, it doesn’t seem like service at all, but an old mate helping out.

Pea and Mint Smash

But the food is anything but no frills. The ubiquitous avocado smash served with delicious lemon infused oil, which in itself is usurped by the pea and mint smash, itself taken to another level with the addition of cashews and bacon. If you are after something smaller, and sweeter, the selction of pastries and donuts are provided than none other than Matt Forbes, and the coffee is seriously good.

The creatively surprising dishes magic serves up is not befitting the location, nor the dining space, but it does seem a wonderfully apt name.

Very often, one only truly appreciates something only after it has been taken away. Subsequent to one particularly heavy torrent of Melbourne rain, the little known but much loved Baker D Chirico closed its doors due to water damage. This was unfortunate, as I am a fan of their simple, but insanely good … everything.

The following weekend hoarding was up. Not just a leaking ceiling obviously.

The following week, the same.

Weeks turned into months. The nights grew darker, the mornings colder, and the winds blew with an icy loneliness that chilled to the core, and yet, Baker still remained closed.

It was a difficult time for all. No notices advising a reopening date, or even if there was even going to be a reopening date. No one seemed to know when, or if, we would once again be treated to the before-the-trend vanilla custard-filled bombolino’s, or the rich quiche (they pastry!!!), or my girl’s favourite, the indulgent mushroom brioche. Yes, it was a tough time for all.

And then it happened. Without any fuss or fan-fare, so typical of the Bakery itself, it opened its doors and resumed like nothing had happened. Like it hadn’t just put us all through months of suffering!

What the Hell, Baker? No explanation?

But how can you not forgive when the coffee is that good? The bread so crusty, and so soft, and the classic croissant and pastries are as good as you’ll find anywhere. And just to make myself clear, I said anywhere.

Period.

Thank the heavens it’s back. Lets hope we never have to go through that again.

Il Fornaio is where people in St Kilda go for their morning coffee and pastry.
It’s where local celebs go to keep it real.
And its where travelling football players start the day before heading to the G.

And it’s where you should go also.

Situated down the dirty end of Fitzroy street, but underneath the Prince, it straddles this dichotomy perfectly by offering top quality pastries and breakfasts, but in a relaxed and affable environment. Service is provided by the cool kids of St Kilda with just the right amount of familiarity to make you feel at home.

The breakfasts are the best you’ll find within a hundred metre radius. Starting with the appropriately named Homer Simpson vs Peter Griffin Massive breakfast, it’s what big breakfasts should be, served with a soft brioche instead of bread so you you have plenty of room for that meaty goodness (did I mention bacon steak and hunter sausage?).

The Homer Simpson vs Peter Griffin

The pastries are top notch, and although the fashionable Nutella doughnuts aren’t the best in the business, the strawberry Danish, in both large and mini sizes, are a worthy substitute.

For a place named ‘The Furnace”, it really should be about the bread. But unfortunately there is so much to love about il Fornaio, as good as the bread is, it’s far from the only reason to swing by and do it the way the locals, celebs and footballers do it.
2C Acland Street
St Kilda, VIC
03 9534 2922